Ball rolling machine



1939- F. H. G. BRANDT ET AL 2,178,222

BALL ROLLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 13,. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 45 FIGURE 3,.

. w? m INVENTOR.

38, 3O 39 FOKKO H. G. BRANDT.

BENJAMIN a. BOCKTING.

ATTORNEY FIGURE 2. 5

Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALL ROLLING MAGHINE Application November 13, 1936, Serial No. 110,634

12 Claims.

This invention relates to ball forming and rollting machines and more particularly to the machine improvements for rolling multiple balls.

An object of the present invention is to provide and arrange a cylindrical internal die with an external mate to form and roll the balls from blanks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide flexible segments for the external die to vary and conform to the actual depth or diameter ofthe balls.

Another object of the present invention is to enter the blanks in a place on the external die and extract the finished balls in another place thereon.

Another object of the present invention is to provide fingers for feeding the blanks between the internal and externaldies.

Another object of the present invention is to arrange the externaldies with a predetermined pressure and means whereby the operator can vary that pressure according to the size and kind of stock material the balls are rolled from under that pressure.

Another object of the present invention is to pivot the finger feeding arms on the die shaft to cause the fingers to follow the curvature of the dies.

Another object of the present invention is the arrangement and combination of gears and cam mechanism for driving the finger feeding arms.

Another object of the present invention is to shape the dies and rotor supports to cause the heat to quickly radiate therefrom and prevent over heating of the dies.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the internal and external dies with cut away portionsto permit the insertion of the blank material for making the balls.

Another object of the present invention is to gradually round the blank material into a long multiple corrugated shape instead of having sharp edges to form ridges and grooves on the material that cannot be eliminated by further rolling and shearing of the stock into balls.

Another object of the present invention'is to provide all of the cutting edges of one die to extend 'past the material polar axis into the compound die to insure absolute severing of each blank into balls.

With these and other objects in view the invention further consists of combinations and arrangements of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the ball rolling machine with certain parts broken away to reveal the interior construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the dies of 5 the ball rolling machine with certain parts broken away to show interior construction, and illustrating the blank stock rolling between the dies just after the feeding fingers have assisted the blank to enter the dies in a straight line parallel to the axis of the rolls. Another ball is shown rolling between the dies.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View of the dies as shown in Figure 2 with the rotating internal die being advanced to a position where one ball is u about to be extracted.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary View of the ball rolling machine with certain parts being broken away to illustrate the cam and gear feeding mechanism with the adjusting pressure arms support-, 2 ing-the external dies.

Figure 5 is a fragmentaryplan view of the feeding fingers and arms showing the cam arrangement with gear driving mechanism.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view illus- .trating the opposite inclinations of the roller shearing edges and the starting faces of the internal die, the faces of the external dies not being shown because of similar construction.

The frame members i and B are mounted on the floor base 9 and have shaft bearings it and II respectively arranged thereon to support the internal roller die shaft 12. A pulley H3 or other driving means is mounted on the shaft IE to rotate the internal roller die I4.

The internal roller die is mounted on two end wheels l5 and it while a third wheel ll supports the die in an intermediate position between the wheels l5 and H3. The wheels 55 and it, are keyed to the shaft 52 at I S and it respectively and are keyed and cap screwed to the die M at 2o, 26', 2! and 2| respectively. The wheels l5, l6 and H have raised lugs 22 thereon to support the die l4, flanges 23 on wheels l5 and (6 for bolting the die to the wheels, and recessed rims 2% to provide means for quickly 'radiating and cooling the die from rolling the hot blank and ball material. Spokes 25 are provided to support the rims 24 and drive the die M and rims from the hubs 26 and 26. i

The external dies 2'! and 28, are arranged to conform to the rotating curvature of the internal die M, with grooves Ed and 35 respectively cut in the external dies, grooves 34 cut in the internal die and all of the grooves adapted to roll blanks 32 or balls 33 with the ball axes arranged at an inclined angle in relation to the die axis.

A portion of the ball axes are inclined in one direction in relation to the die axis while another portion of the ball axes are inclined in an opposite direction to relieve end thrusts as much as possible on the die shaft and bearings.

The cutting edges 34 and 35 of the external dies pass the cutting edges 36 and 31 of the internal die to insure severing of the blank material into balls without leaving polar marks on the balls. Attention is called particularly to the fact that all of the cutting edges of the internal die extend past the material polar axis into the external die and all of the cutting edges of the external die extend past the material polar axis into the internal die, thereby completely shearing the material without polar marks remaining on the balls.

The die I4 has a portion of the cutting edges 36 and 31 tapering off to a dull rounded or corrugated shape 38 to gradually form the blank 32 by the plastic method instead of shearing by a sharp cutting edge. This corrugation kneads the material into shape and does not leave folded equator edges like sharp cutting edges will do when the first part of the rolling and severing of the blanks into balls is accomplished.

The exterior die 28 also has the tapering off rounded edges as shown at 39 and acts in conjunction with the corrugated shaped grooves 33 to allow the blank to enter and gradually knead the material into shape where it can be easily sheared into balls by slight cuts received from shearing edges 4|] and 4|.

Feeding fingers 44 are shown preferably integral with the beam 45 and arms 46 which are pivoted on the shaft l2, arms 41 having rollers 49 pinned at 49 thereto.

Cams 50 are keyed to the trunnion shafts 5| at 52 and have cam teeth 53 arranged for raising the cam rollers 48 and forcing the feeding fingers to feed blanks into the cut away portions of the dies. Gears 54 and 55 being keyed to the respective shafts l2 and 5| by keys 56 and 51. Springs 58 connected to arms 41 and frame base 9 return the fingers to the starting or withdrawn position as shown in Figure 4.

A plate 59 inclines downwardly to the entrance of the die 28 to aid in feeding the blanks to the dies I4 and 28 and may have the automatic feeding mechanism added thereto as shown in our Patent Number 2,048,917 dated July 28, 1936 without departure from the present invention.

A trough 69 is arranged to catch the extracted balls from the die 21 and convey them to a convenient location.

The dies 21 and 28 have lugs 6!, 62, 63 and 64 respectively pinned at 65, 66, 67 and 68 to receive the arms 69, 10, H and 12. The arms 69 and 13 are integral with boss 14 and are fulcrumed on shaft 15, the shaft 15 being supported by frame members 1 and 8.

The arm 19 is integral with the boss 16 pivoted on shaft 15 while the integral boss 11 is resiliently held in place by compression spring 78 seated over keeper I9. The nut 89 and cap screw 8| provide means whereby the movement of the boss 11 may be regulated, the cap screw 8| being supported by the frame beam 82. The boss 83 integral with arm 13 supports cap screw 84 and nut 95 to adjust the compression of the spring 18, a washer 18' being used to transfer the spring load to the cap screw 84.

The arms 12 and 88' are integral with boss 85 fulcrumed on shaft 81, the spring boss 88 being integral with arm 88' and supporting compression spring 89 while the boss 88 is adjustably supported by nut 98 and cap screw 9|.

The arms 'II and 92 are integral with boss 93 fulcrumed on shaft Bl, the spring boss 94 being integral with arm 92 and supporting cap screw 95. The cap screw 95 and nut 96 are arranged whereby they may be adjusted to adjust the compression on the spring 89 through the washer 91. The arms 19 and 88 have lugs 98 and 99 respectively arranged to receive the adjusting capscrews I00 and HH with locking nuts I92 and H13 respectively. The function of these screws is to provide the operator with means to adjust the spread of the arms and likewise the spacing between the external dies and internal die.

Like reverse parts have the same number to save and description with the exception of prime being added to the reverse parts, the functions of both parts being the same.

It is obvious that when a round cylindrically shaped blank is placed on the plate 59 that it will roll by gravity into the dies l4 and 28 when in the position shown in Figure 4 of the drawings and that the cams 50 driven by the gears 54 and 55 will raise the rollers 48 causing the fingers 44 to align the blank with the axis of the die shaft and feed the blank into the dies to where the blank will keep rolling when the fingers are withdrawn by the tension of springs 58. The blank 32 is first gradually rolled into a corrugated shape as shown in the lower cut away portion of the dies illustrated in Figure l. The rolling edges of the dies are first rounded and tapering to reduce the blank while the springs 18 and 89, levers 69, 10, H and I2 adjust the compression of the dies on the material to a predetermined force. The beveled cutting edges 34, 35, 36 and 31 gradually shear the corrugated blank into balls,

a part of the shearing forces acting in one direction while the remaining part of the shearing forces acts in the opposite direction. The reverse beveling actions and forces being internally absorbed by the dies to relieve end thrust on the bearings.

The external dies 21 and 28 are pivoted at 86 and 91 to arms 19 and H to adjust themselves to the rolling action of the balls and also by arms 69 and 12 slotted at I94 and I85 to provide for adjustment, and the reason for the major rolling die surfaces in comparison to the forming and shearing surfaces is to true the balls to make them as nearly perfect as possible.

While we have described the external dies as two separate dies we also wish to claim the two external dies as one die or one flexible die which would be in more than one piece. Furthermore we wish to state that the expression shear through used in the claims is intended to mean one shearing edge passing another shearing edge to completely sever the blanks, thereby eliminating a fin or feather edge to be rolled over the face of a finished ball.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by letters Patent is:

1. The combination of an internal die, an external die adjustably arranged around the major portion thereof, fingers arranged to swing into and out of a position between said dies to feed blanks therebetween, a shaft, said internal die secured to said shaft, an arm, said fingers positioned on said arm, said arm fulcrumed on said shaft, said arm operated by said driving means, a spring being connected to said arm to withdraw said fingers from said dies, and said dies arranged to roll balls.

2. The combination of a pair of dies, said die surfaces arranged substantially concentric, cutting edges on said dies, all of said cutting edges of one die arranged to extend into the opposite die, and said dies arranged to roll blanks therebetWeen into balls.

3. The combination of a pair of dies, said die surfaces flexibly arranged and substantially concentric, cutting edges on said dies, all of said cutting edges of one die arranged to extend into the opposite die, and said dies arranged to roll blanks therebetween into balls.

4. The combination of a pair of dies, said die surfaces arranged substantially concentric, said dies adapted to corrugate a blank and then completely shear therethrough by having the cutting edges of one die extend into the opposite die thereby forming balls, and adjustable means arranged to automatically control the pressure on balls rolled therebetween.

5. The combination of a pair of dies, cutting edges thereon, said die surfaces arranged substantially concentric, said dies adapted to com pletely shear through material by having the cutting edges of one die extend into the opposite de and roll blanks into balls, and adjustable means arranged to automatically control the pressure between said dies while rolling said blanks and balls.

6. The combination of a pair of dies, cutting edges thereon, said die surfaces arranged approximately concentric, said dies adapted to corrugate a blank and then completely shear therethrough by having the cutting edges of one die extend into the opposite die forming blanks into balls, adjustable means arranged to automatically control the pressure between said dies, and fingers arranged to feed blanks between said dies.

7. A pair of dies arranged to roll blanks into balls, cutting edges arranged on said dies to sever said blanks into balls, all of the cutting edges of one die arranged to extend into the opposite die whereby complete severing of the blank into balls may be accomplished.

8. A pair of dies, said dies arranged in bearings, said dies adapted to roll blanks, cutting edges arranged on said dies to sever said blanks into balls, the cutting edges on one portion of each die beveled in one direction, the cutting edges on the opposite portions of each die beveled in the opposite directions whereby the cutting forces on said dies will be internally absorbed and relieve end thrust to said bearings.

9. A pair of dies, said dies adapted to roll blanks into balls, said dies adapted to roll said blanks into a corrugated shape before severing and forming said blank material into balls, cutting edges, and said die edges arranged to completely shear through said blanks by having the cutting edges of one die extend into the opposite die and roll said material into balls,

10. The combination of an internal die, an external die, fingers adapted to enter between said dies, a beam, said fingers positioned on said beam, a shaft, said internal die mounted on said shaft, arms connecting said beam to said shaft, a cam, said cam positioned to rotate and move said arms, driving means connected to said cam, drivin means connected to said internal die, said internal die arranged to co-operate with said external die to roll balls therebetween, and said fingers arranged to co-operate with said dies to feed bails therebetween. v

11. The combination of an internal die, an external die, a beam, fingers positioned on said beam, a shaft, said internal die pivoted on said shaft, said beam pivoted on said shaft, a cam, said cam pivoted to move said beam, said internal die arranged to co-operate with said external die to roll blank rods into balls therebetween, and said fingers arranged to co-operate with said dies to feed rods therebetween.

12. The combination of an internal die, a fiexible external die, an arm, fingers positioned on said arm, a shaft, said internal die fulcrumed on'said shaft, said arm fulcrumed on said shaft, a cam, said cam pivoted to move said arm, said internal die arranged to co-operate with said external flexible die to roll blank rods into balls therebetween, and said fingers arranged to cooperate with said dies to feed rods therebetween.

FOKKO H. G. BRANDT. BENJAMIN B. BOCKTING. 

